Six Of The Best Wembley FA Community Shields

Thursday, 08, August, 2013

We're just days away from the return of the football season and the traditional curtain raiser that is The FA Community Shield. Manchester United take on Wigan at Wembley Stadium, in what promises to be a mouth-watering encounter to kick start the 2013/14 season.

Although many call it a friendly, there have been some cracking moments in Community Shield history since it moved to Wembley in 1974, we look back at six of the best encounters...

Liverpool 1-1 Leeds United (Liverpool win 6-5 on penalties) - 1974
67,000 fans saw Liverpool overcome Leeds on penalties, but many of those who witnessed the game remember a now infamous brawl rather than the result. Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan had clashed on a number of occasions throughout the game before finally coming to blows in the Leeds penalty area. The pair had to be separated by players and officials and were then walked off the pitch with their shirts thrown to the ground in one of the most talked about images from the Shield's history.

Liverpool 2-1 Wimbledon – 1988
The 1988 FA Charity Shield was a repeat of the previous season’s FA Cup Final, as Liverpool again faced Wimbledon - but there was to be no upset on this occasion. History looked to be repeating itself when Wimbledon took the lead with a John Fashanu header from a Dennis Wise cross, but two goals from John Aldridge ensured Liverpool took the Shield back to Anfield.

Leeds United 4-3 Liverpool - 1992
A rampant Eric Cantona stole the show with a fantastic hat-trick in this seven-goal thriller. Cantona put Leeds ahead, but questionable defending from both sides left the scoreline 2-2 with 25 minutes to play. The Frenchman then put Leeds ahead from close range before capitalising on a Bruce Grobbelaar error to head home the decisive fourth goal. A last minute own goal from Leeds’ Gordon Strachan ensured a nervous finish but, but the champions saw out the closing stages and it ended 4-3 to the Yorkshire side.

Manchester Utd 1-1 Arsenal (Manchester Utd win 5-4 on penalties) - 1993
United took the lead after only eight minutes when Eric Cantona played the ball back to Mark Hughes for a trademark volley. Five minutes before half time Ian Wright scored a sublime, first-time equaliser - chipping Peter Schmeichel from outside the box. Despite plenty of chances for both sides to win there were no more goals and the match went to penalties. Wright then went from hero to villain as he missed a spot-kick that would have won it for the Gunners. Bryan Robson took advantage by putting United 5-4 ahead, and Schmeichel saved from fellow keeper David Seaman to secure the Shield for Alex Ferguson’s men.

Chelsea 2-2 Manchester United (Chelsea win 4-1 on penalties) – 2009
Nani's angled strike gave Manchester United an early lead before a Ricardo Carvalho header and a Frank Lampard strike looked to have won it for Chelsea. However, Wayne Rooney slid home a last minute equaliser to take the match to penalties. United’s Michael Carrick scored but Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra both missed from the spot while Lampard, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou kept their nerve for a shootout victory.

Manchester United 3-2 Manchester City – 2011
We should have known the 2011/2012 season title race would be a classic after this thriller went the way of Manchester United in injury -time. First-half goals from Joleon Lescott and Eden Dzeko put City in command, but Chris Smalling and Nani got United back in the match with two goals in six minutes, and the Portuguese winger capitalised on a late defensive mistake to take the Shield to Old Trafford for a record 15th time.